A comparative electromyographic analysis of the movements of dancers of varying skill

Sport dancing is a hard-house type of sports, so dancers at the first classesface a variety of movements, which differ in amplitude, direction, speed, and different combinations at different times and differentdirections of movements of body parts. All this diversity must be implemented within strict spatial and temporal parameters, within therhythmic picture of a dance. To form a skill of managing their dance moves dancers need a special motor training. To optimize the managementof the process of such motor trainings a theoretical and experimental study must be conducted of criteria of objective control ofdance movements. In analyzing the data we found mixed results of bioelectric parameters of right and left rectus muscles of thighsamong highly skilled dancers. We observed that when performing the basic dance movement "time-step", the maximum amplitude contractionof rectus muscles of the left thigh of young men is significantly higher than that of girls. The maximum amplitude contraction ofrectus muscles of the right thigh of girls is higher in comparison with boys. Similar results of the priority of the "take-off" leg accordingto the gender were also detected among secondary indicators: the mean and total amplitudes and mean frequency of rectus muscles contraction.Apparently, these figures are associated with the specifics of the dance sport: when performing the competitive variation of aduet dance the he-partner usually begins with the right foot, while loading the left, and the she-partner, respectively, starts with the leftone, while loading the right leg. Our data are consistent with the studies on the speed of motor reaction of dancers at the audio signal.The authors have noted the fact of priority of the "leading hand" in the tactile interaction of the dancing duet, also associated with thespecific of the sport. In addition, we found a reduced period of electrical activity of muscles in the group of highly-skilled dancers. Obviously,this is due to the decrease of time necessary to perform a movement, as it increases the synchronization of motor fibers (byaverage frequency) and, as a result of this, the period of electrical activity reduces. Consequently, it is the nature of bioelectric indicatorsof rectus muscles of thighs that determines the level of special motor preparedness in the sport dance. The higher the skill level of dancersis, the more noticeable the difference in the amplitudes and mean frequency of performance in seconds.

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